True Image 2013 - Continuing backups on new computer
Hi,
I have an existing file backup archive (incremental) that runs to about 385GB.
I recently set up a new computer, which has a new install of Windows 8 on an SSD. I exported all of my backup settings before the move.
As far as TI is concerned, the backup set has not changed. Files are backed up from the C and K drives and these are all present and correct.
In my backup settings, I have file security settings backup disabled, as I have had issues around here before.
When the backup runs, it basically runs out of disk space, because there isn't enough space on the disk for a 385GB increment (which I can only assume is what is happening).
Is there any way that I can convince TI to continue incrementing the backup?
If it isn't possible, if I convert the archive to a Windows Backup, will windows backup fare better?
I also have a BluRay based backup that runs to 16 disks, I'd like to not have to do this again as I have better things to do with my life.
Thanks in advance,
Carl
Thanks for the response, but this all seems a bit inflexible.
This is a file backup, not an OS image or anything else, and as such shouldn't care in the slightest about the way that the disks are set up.
It is basically a set of photo folders from one disk and some other random files from another.
If this can't be done then fair enough, I could probably knock something better together using a diff of two "dir k:\pictures /s >dir.txt" commands and zipping the results up manually.
C
If it's just a file-based backup, then it might work fine. Try it and see.
That's what I expected, but it didn't work when I tried it.
I was hoping to come here and find that it was something simple that I needed to do to make something simple work...
Unfortunately, if I am forced to take another full backup, it won't be with TI.
I was hoping to come here and find that it was something simple that I needed to do to make something simple work...
Someone may have an answer. I've never migrated backup tasks from one PC to another, especially to an entirely different OS.
Unfortunately, if I am forced to take another full backup, it won't be with TI.
Threats aren't helpful.
Threats aren't helpful.
And that is a threat how? I merely stated that if I have to start again then I would do so with another tool that I may not face exactly the same issue again down the line.
Let's not forget that the backup is there for disaster recovery purposes, so I am quite likely to be moving this backup and restoring to a different computer. Requiring an entire new backup of effectively the same files straight after does not seem an efficient use of anyone's time.
But Carl in the time it's taken you to get on-line here and explain the problem you could have easily started anew, with no possible risk of any mistakes or problems that might render your long (long!) incremental backup chain.
Frankly 16 BD-R disks as a backup sounds extraordinarily high risk to me. They all have to be perfect.
Hi,
My BD-R backup is not my only backup (I'm not completely daft!).
I have 2 sets of the 16 disks located at 2 different off-site locations, a direct hard-disk based copy in a fire safe and then my main backup stored on an ioSafe Solo device in the same room.
The 2 BD-R sets are identical, as I tried a couple of times to do a backup direct to them but in the end created a normal backup with splitting and then copied them on manually. This means that the exact same disc in the 16 disc set, a hard drive in a fire safe, and an ioSafe device all have to fail at the same time before my photos are gone!
Did I mention that I also have key sets of the photos stored on my 100Gb Skydrive....?
I don't have a problem with having to do the main backup again, I know that long incremental chains are not a good idea. I had just hoped that the backup on the BD-Rs (which is differential, not incremental) would stand for a bit longer than the month since I spent hours swapping disks.
I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and go for it, but this coupled with other ongoing issues with the scheduled backup just rubbed me up the wrong way a bit.
Apologies to all for my rather negative posts.
I have 2 sets of the 16 disks located at 2 different off-site locations, a direct hard-disk based copy in a fire safe and then my main backup stored on an ioSafe Solo device in the same room.
The 2 BD-R sets are identical, as I tried a couple of times to do a backup direct to them but in the end created a normal backup with splitting and then copied them on manually. This means that the exact same disc in the 16 disc set, a hard drive in a fire safe, and an ioSafe device all have to fail at the same time before my photos are gone!
Did I mention that I also have key sets of the photos stored on my 100Gb Skydrive....?
Sounds like you've got excellent redundancy - a good thing for a backup solution!
I'd offer one variation. For file backups, especially for files that aren't very compressable (music, video, etc.), I prefer a file-based backup solution that stores in native format rather than a proprietary archive. I use True Image for disk and partition images, and wouldn't be without it. For file backups I use Robocopy to back them in in their native format.
I'd offer one variation. For file backups, especially for files that aren't very compressable (music, video, etc.), I prefer a file-based backup solution that stores in native format rather than a proprietary archive. I use True Image for disk and partition images, and wouldn't be without it. For file backups I use Robocopy to back them in in their native format.
Didn't consider Robocopy (I always forget it exists, tbh). I'll definitely have a think about using that, at least in parallel to see how it goes.
Thanks.
C
Robocopy, or whatever file-based tool you prefer (MS SyncToy, etc.) I like Robocopy because it's multi-threaded, so very fast even when mirroring my 500 GB music collection.
Robocopy, or whatever file-based tool you prefer (MS SyncToy, etc.) I like Robocopy because it's multi-threaded, so very fast even when mirroring my 500 GB music collection.
Yeah, I just gave it a quick go with the /E /XO on a folder with about 10 GB in and it was blazingly fast compared to a windows file copy of the same stuff. It seems really fast at just detecting the files that I had randomly deleted and just recopying those too, although I'm not sure how much caching was going on there as I'd only just done the original copy across.
I've definitely used MS SyncToy (is this part of Power Tools?) at some point in the past and it worked for whatever we were trying to do at the time, so I'll consider that too.
Robocopy is particularly fast on a multi-processor-CPU system when set to mirror, so it backs up only those files that have changed or which are new. My music folder has over 2,400 sub-folders with over 21,000 files, and setting Robocopy to use 16 threads lets it compare everything in very little time.
I liked SyncToy. However, after I found file-level errors (failed checksums) in some files it copied, I abandoned it in favour of Robocopy. Robocopy is a robust file-based backup tool. Once a Robocopy script is written, I just reuse it by launching a .bat file (which could also be scheduled).
Once a Robocopy script is written, I just reuse it by launching a .bat file (which could also be scheduled).
I'll give it a go I think. Couple it up with something like blat and I can have the log files emailed to me in a similar way that I do now.
Thanks.
C
>My BD-R backup is not my only backup (I'm not completely daft!).
Well that's good to know Carl--a lot of people have NO backups, or only one, and an old one at that! Even some people I otherwise have great respect for!
Like tuttle I found issues with SyncToy too (long time ago, I forget) and moved to SyncBack (Free) and it's great if you decide you don't like Robocopy (I've not tried it myself). I do like file backups in native format and for my main PC backup files to a local USB 3.0 flash drive every day, and a NAS every day, month, and year, and I also backup to WHS2011 daily, weekly, and three months iirc. Then I do Acronis image backups weekly. So if I have a Windows or Program problem I'm never >one week of updates away from getting a PC back on its feet using Acronis, and I guess I have a bare-metal restore option also with WHS2011 though I've not tried that yet as ATIH has been so good to me. Note I do readily admit to being overly backed-up, completely paranoid, and quite possibly daft for sure...
This might be heresy in this board, but given that AFAICT a single bad bit can kill a .tib file dead, I'm inclined to save those only to SSD/HDD and not for example to BD-R though as you might be able to tell I love redundancy. But I could well imagine file-level backups on BD-R (e.g. monthly, or maybe yearly anyway) since any disc degradation would likely only affect individual files.
Your 385GB question sorta makes my head hurt to be honest i.e. I don't know what kind of issues you might run into with carrying that forward. I tend not to upgrade PCs very often for the very reason that it is so VERY much work just to get one's computing life back in shape again i.e. back just to Square One (where you were before you "upgraded").